Building Church Leaders

I totally agree, Christians cannot be possessed by demons.

Colin W

December 17, 2012  9:43pm

The author's position reflects my own. I can never understand how Christians embrace the idea that they can be demon possessed while the spirit of Christ lives within them. Are they implying that the demon(s) can "bind up" the Strong Man of the house?

This has long puzzled me thanks for sharing. I have something to build on now.

Brenden Price

November 13, 2012  7:10pm

Um, excuse me but I've been baptised and I'm a true believer of God and have accepted Jesus Christ in my heart and know he is my savior but yet I've been Possessed twice. So I'm very confused on why I have been.

In the OT we have the story of Job, in the NT there is not ONE exsample of a BORN AGAIN believer being possessed. Just because a person says they are a Christian does not mean they are; 75% people in the USA or more profess being a Christian our popular movies, life styles, and politics prove that cannot be true. Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira these are two classic exsamples of hypocrisy among christians who fake their "spirituality to impress others, the Church is full of such people John 17:12-14 New Living Translation (NLT) 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.[a] I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

Precise, correct, essential truth! Anyone including born-again believers can have demons. Do the flesh, do the demons! Demons are parasites, they go where it's dark and where there's dead flesh! Most believers and the church at large are clueless -this is why they don't know about demons, don't cast them out and aren't free like they could be! My wife and I first realized we needed deliverance in 1980 when we got baptized in the Holy Spirit and an internal war began. After deliverance ministry, we experienced new peace and then we began to minister to others - Mark 16:15-20! see: Pigs in the Parlor, Pastor Frank Hammond; The Bondage Breaker, Neil Anderson; www.tbm.org; www.greatbiblestudy.com Deliverance from demons belongs to believers not unbelievers- it's the Children's Bread: Matt. 15:21-28. It should not be assumed that demons automatically leave people when they are born-again -repentance is key -they stay when there's legal grounds/agreement/lack of repentance.

I remember you teaching this at Moody, Dr. Dickason. Nice to "see" you on here.

Patricia Vélez

May 10, 2012  5:09pm

Clear as day!

David Stephens

April 22, 2012  8:34pm

As a new Christian I had the opportunity to observe a case of demon possession and be instrumental in ending it. Skipping the details, it is sufficient to note that the Holy Spirit reminded me of the admonition to "submit unto the Lord, resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." I did as instructed and instantly the demonic influence stopped in mid-sentence in the person so afflicted, leaving him befuddled and confused. The Lord then used me to lead him to Christ. I saw him recover himself over the next couple of years to the extent that he was readmitted to the Air Force from which he had been discharged for "mental" reasons. I'm sure there are cases, as Jesus noted, where the demons come out only with prayer and fasting, they being more tightly entrenched. Yet, in that early exoerience I was taught a valuable lesson: the fundamental basis for relief is submission to God and resistance to the Devil. A simple truth dramatically reinforced. How easily we forget the basics.

Cobus Prinsloo

April 19, 2012  4:42pm

Being a pastor's son, I had been a Christian for many years, but at some stage in my life I strayed and started to expose myself to stuff that I know God disliked. For one, I developed an appetite for horror movies ... things that are not part of the Light. Ans alas, I picked up a very real and evil thing by watching a Steven King movie one day. I was still a Christian, but through disobedience I flirted with the occult out of curiosity and "tested" God and He temporarily & partly withdrew His presence from me. For two weeks I went through a terrible time, but eventually received deliverance from a demonic spirit. After that I got a new appreciation for Philippians 4:8. I think we make the mistake of basing our understanding of possession in terms of our limited frame of reference in 3D space and thus conclude that a Christian cannot be possessed. I believe demonic possession can take place in one dimensional plane while God's Spirit still resides in another within the same person.

David Appleby has it right. Christians cannot be owned by Satan; they have been bouth with the blood of Christ. However, the word demonized (Gr. daimonizomenos) describes on subject to the control of a demon who resides in the person. He has covert or overt mainifestations in mind and/or body. The person may not even be aware of hidden propaganda and pressures, but the enemy seeks compliance with his will leading to hurt and destruction. Invading demons and their tactics must be recognized and proper counseling must follow. Leading the person to recognize the authority of Christ and the position granted to him in Christ will enable that person to stand in Chrsit's power and to command the invading demon to obey Christ and leave to where Jesus sends him. This is no place for power play. It is an opportunity for freedom and growth in Biblical fashion.

We do not focus are attention on demonically oppressed people, but in Christ we are commissioned to set them free.

Bob Hammond

April 13, 2012  10:20pm

I tried to rate the article 5 but it only let me do 1 so I'm trying again!

Gerald Graham

April 13, 2012  11:07am

Good article. My daughter just asked me this very question the other day. I think too many people worry so much about "possession" that they miss the very "oppression" that is going on in their lives and the lives of people around them. We sometimes think that, "Well, I can't be possessed therefore I must be okay..." People, as long as we are still in this world the devil is too and we can't have two masters. We either listen to one "voice" or the other. And we must choose this day whom we will serve! P.S. Meant to click all five stars but now it won't let me change it...

Bob Hammond

April 13, 2012  8:52am

I have been involved in deliverance for over 20 years and have seen, with my own eyes, hundreds of people delivered. With a possible exception of 1 or 2, all of them were Christians. All Christians have spirit, soul and body (1 Thess 5:23). The spirit is born again (Rom 10:9, 1 Peter 1:23) when one becomes a Christian. The body should be presented as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1) and the soul (mind) should be renewed (Rom 12:2). When Christians engage in any form of idolatry, they give place to the devil (Eph 4:27), allowing demons to enter their soul or body. They cannot touch the spirit which is sealed by the holy spirit (Eph 1:13, 4:30).

Years ago I studied this issue and found that the valid exegesis is "demonization". By using appropriate Scripture, a Christian should be able to set the enemy to flight him/herself. If not, get help!

shannon taylor

April 12, 2012  8:10pm

Excellent article, more should be written about this, as I think contact with demons happens much more commonly than people realize.

Some valid observations but I find the exegesis unconvincing.